You must be born again ( Gospel of John 3:7 )
And the LORD said to Job: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” Then Job answered the LORD and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Book of Job 40:1-5
This might be the last post for a while.
Something from the forum.
Paul’s letters are full of teaching about the reception of the Holy Spirit and how we must allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives and actions if we wish to walk with God. Also with as much emphasis Paul teaches about the ‘flesh’ and how it is opposed to the Holy Spirit. Also Peter teaches this great conflict for the Christian in their daily life and walk with God.
Some scriptures…
Mat 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
The spirit here is in my opinion, mans will to love God and yet finding this conflict within himself, the flesh being weak, or apt to fail.
Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Again Jesus telling us that the flesh is a total waste of time and not to be trusted at all.
Rom 7:5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
Oh precious Gift of God…
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
Helpless state of affairs…
Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
Ditto…
Rom 8:3 > 4 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
It’s a reality…for every true Christian…
Rom 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Priceless Christian teaching…
Rom 8:6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For the Christian to set the mind on his flesh is to thrust the controls of a plane downward…
Rom 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Incompatability…
Rom 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
A fact!
Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Let us examine ourselves…
Rom 8:12 > 14 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.Oh Paul, so much teaching about the Spirit…
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
An order from an officer…yes sir!
1Co 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
Oh Church, listen if you have ears…
1Co 5:5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
And Jesus said, ‘but whoever hears My words and…’
Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
O foolish Galatian…
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
An answer for our struggle…
Gal 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Blessed Spirit of God…
Gal 5:18 > 26 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.Glorious Christian teaching…
Eph 2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Another fact!
Phi 3:3 For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh–
Pesky Judaizers…
1Pe 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Thank you Peter, another command from one of our officers…
This theme of Spirit and flesh is very much in my thoughts, the concept has been tainted by people who go over the top and others who reject it completely or restrict it by their actions even if they will not admit to it.
‘Father may they be one’…’so that the world may believe’
It is going to be very hard for me to find a fellowship where I can be happy I think, so much division, so much diversity. I guess understandable, considering mankind. But O how I wish it was not so.
Boinc is opensource software that makes use of your pc for scientific purposes. You can join various projects and allow your computer to be used when your actually not using it.
The SETI project looks interesting although I am joined to the Rosetta one myself, as a Christian I do not believe in aliens as the world does but I do believe in angels and living creatures etc and I guess that is extra terrestrial or should I say celestial 
This one goes to the owner of a hyper calvinism site who in response to my statement that you must be born again said that ‘being born again is a false gospel’ to which I replied that I could not see how it could be a false gospel seeing that they are the very words from the mouth of God. The expressed remonstrance ended after that.
Another classic example of extreme theology messing with Bible truth. Stay away from hyper calvinism. They also state on that site that the letter of James is trash. I will not mention the url of the site as I don’t like to do that. Not hard to find if you have a mind to.
And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:40 ESV
Notice, it is by preaching and the hearing of that preaching that results follow, and that by the grace of God.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Gospel of Matthew 11:27-30 ESV
From Handel’s Messiah
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Praise Your Glorious Name Jesus.
I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me.
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts– the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!
They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
Book of Psalms 57:2-9 ESV
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Gospel of Matthew 16:26 ESV
“We all have to go that way”, someone once said to me shortly after I became a Christian, I forget the exact subject matter, but never a truer word spoken.
( Unless your lucky enough to be changed from being mortal to immortal in the twinkling of an eye as the Apostle Paul mentions ).
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s first letter to the Corithians 15:51-57 ESV
I used to be quite a fan of the above music group before I became a Christian ( I was basically ‘off my head’ habitually ) and yesterday one of them died. Quite a life he must have lived, but now it is over.
Sometimes I think of Bill Gates when I think of the title Scripture, the richest man in the world who can have basically anything he wants that money could buy.
And yet, if your not born again then there is nothing after death but a second everlasting death, no exception to the rule, the Bible is quite clear about this.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Letter to the Hebrews 9:27 ESV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Paul’s letter to the Romans 3:23 ESV
Being good and a philanthropist will not get you any brownie points with God, neither will fame and distinction or any amazing gifts that you posses, the only way to be a partaker of the life of God after death is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet the world continues to reject this Way; to it’s own destruction.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Gospel of John 14:6 ESV
My hope is that famous and non famous people alike will find grace before they die, because without it people are lost for ever.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Gospel of John 1:1-14 ESV
Have a good Lord’s Day, He is risen, He is risen indeed.
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep”.
Gospel of John 21:17 ESV
Lourdes is not far away from where I live and yesterday the leader of the Roman Catholics turned up. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that I had a lousy spiritual day yesterday.
I remember when I was working at Hill Farm in 1982 the Pope came to Cardiff, and because the farm is set on a hill you can see all of Cardiff and it’s suburbs. And the Leckwith area NW of Cardiff was where he was heading.
At around 3 pm I remember thunder and lightening all over the Leckwith area.
I think the theme was at that time, ‘he has the whole world in his hands’ referring to the then Pope.
Quite tragic.
I have no desire for the Roman Catholic church at all, in fact I compare it to the shepherd the sheep know not and run away from. Martin Luther was right to hammer his Ninety-Five Theses on the doors of All Saints Church on October 31st 1517
What annoys me about the Roman Catholic church is that it basically tells it’s followers peace when there is no peace, fails to preach the true gospel and the fact that you must be born again. The result is many Roman Catholics dying without Christ and so lost.
I wonder what the Apostle Peter would have to say about today’s Christianity!
Martin Luther
I took this from the Wikipedia entry for Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones, I am not sure how much we should trust what is written in Wikipedia actually, seeing that literally anyone can add there.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones has admirers from many different denominations in the Christian Church today. One much discussed aspect of his legacy is his relationship to the Charismatic movement. Although not directly associated with this movement, he did teach the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct experience from conversion or regeneration.
Indeed, towards the end of his life he urged his listeners to actively seek an experience of the Holy Spirit.
For instance, in his exposition of Ephesians 6:10-13, published in 1976, he says, “Do you know anything of this fire? If you do not, confess it to God and acknowledge it. Repent, and ask Him to send the Spirit and His love into you until you are melted and moved, until you are filled with his love divine, and know His love to you, and rejoice in it as his child, and look forward to the hope of the coming glory. ‘Quench not the Spirit’, but rather ‘be filled with the Spirit’ and ‘rejoice in Christ Jesus”.
Part of Lloyd-Jones’ stress of the Christian’s need of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was due to his belief that this provides an overwhelming assurance of God’s love to the Christian, and thereby enables him to boldly witness for Christ to an unbelieving world.
This seems to be the second time I have apparently criticised this great Christian man, well I do not see it like that actually. I have the greatest respect for him and his work. In fact he resembles my own father very much. I will see if I can find a certain photo of my dad to put along side this one of Dr Jones. 
Dr Jones
Here is a great sermon by Dr Jones entitled The Apostles Doctrine
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My personal belief is that the Holy Spirit is so important that more emphasis needs to be placed on the fact that this is the gift of God to every true Christian.
The problem is as I see it is that fellowships go to both ends of an extreme. I would say that I am a concervative non-cessationist to coin a new term ( I just made it up ) mainly because of my own experience of God ( I know that He is very much alive and active in the world ) and I also believe that the promise of Jesus that the man who believes in Him will do the things that He did is still valid, although I believe that you would have to be an exceptional man to fulfil it and that by the grace of God.
Now the two ends of the extreme seem to be this, those like Benny Hinn who in my opinion is a complete crackpot and ridicules the Church of Christ, those who babble away in unintelligible tongues in public meetings causing unbelievers to think they are quite mad and so doing harm to the gospel. Then you have at the other end of the spectrum the people who are forever preaching from the gloomiest parts of the old testament and bore you to death, dress in long black flowing robes, have big black Bibles and walk down the aisles after finishing preaching in a ceremonial manner to greet you at the door before you scarper. And they probably drive around in a funeral hearst ( yes you know the type ). Perhaps I over did the last description, then again maybe not.
Now as I think of this subject I suddenly realise that I could post pages on it, but I will not. All I would like to point out is that the Holy Spirit is a normal intentional reality for every true Christian and provided by God Himself and made available by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the point where I could post a lot of Scripture references regarding the Holy Spirit and the absolute necessity of His presence in the believers life for the Christian journey to heaven.
In fact I will, what I will do is add a new verse from time to time and we will see the list gradually grow, if you would like to add one email me @ david@holyfear.net or post something in the forum.
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.
Book of Ezekiel 11:19 ESV
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Book of Isaiah 44:3 ESV
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Book of Ezekiel 36:27 ESV
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts of the Apostles 2:38 ESV
Early Life
John Penry was the son of Meredith Penry, a farmer of some substance, and was born at Cefn Brith (pictured below) on the slopes of Mynydd Eppynt in the parish of Llangamarch. It is likely that he was brought up in the Roman Catholic tradition, since the people of the remoter parts of rural Wales were slow to accept the new breakaway Church of England.
He attended Peterhouse, Cambridge from 1580 to 1584, coming into contact with Protestant ideas and influences. He then went on to Oxford and was awarded his MA in 1586. He is known to have bemoaned the state of pastoral care of the Church in his home country where many incumbents could not speak Welsh and congregations were shrinking. He gained a reputation in Wales for his skill as a preacher, being known as Telyn Cymru (the Welsh Harp).
The struggle for reform
Penry pleaded with the church authorities to improve matters, and even petitioned the Queen. In 1587 he published a book entitled “A Treatise containing the Aequity of an Humble Supplication” which put forward his grievances against the church, and called for more preaching in Welsh by men - even laymen - of good character. The work was presented in Parliament, and although it did not challenge the authority of the bishops he was arrested on the orders of Archbishop Whitgift, though later released. In 1588 he became involved with Robert Waldegrave’s secret printing press producing two further titles of his own in 1588. These were fiercely denounced by the Church of England which saw any attack on the established church as treason. Penry was forced to keep on the move to avoid arrest and the press itself operated from several sites around London, and at Fawsley and Coventry.
Penry is thought to have been involved in the publication of the “Marprelate Tracts” denouncing the immorality of the bishops, which the church was even more anxious to suppress. Waldegrave split with the press, which was taken over by John Hodgkins and moved to Wolston Priory and then Warrington..
In 1589 Hodgkins was taken and tortured by church officers, and Penry fled to Scotland where he published further works defending the Scots church against attacks from Richard Bancroft.
Betrayal and death
By the time he left the relative safety of Scotland in 1592 he had moved away from Presbyterian beliefs and moved towards a separatist stance. In London he joined the Separatists under Henry Barrow, being responsible for a congregation of his own which met in secret, often in the open air, risking arrest and execution. He himself was betrayed by the vicar of Stepney and arrested in March 1592/3. Despite protestations of loyalty to his Queen and his country and a personal interview with Lord Burghley he was condemned to death and was executed on 29 May 1593 at St Thomas a Watering.
Although described by later historians of dissent as “the morning star of Protestant nonconformity in Wales” his influence at the time was limited. He was probably, however, the first puritan preacher in Wales.
I came across a book called The History of Protestant Non Conformism in Wales by Thomas Rees published in 1861; you can read or download it in pdf format by clicking here. It’s quite a large file about 20mb the book has 500 pages so it might take a while to open or download.
